Furnace



Dec. 25, 1923. 1,478,810

F. H. WOLKENHAUER FURNACE Filed Feb. 15 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 05 RimDec. 25, 1923. I 1,478,810'

F. H. WOLKENHAUER FURNACE Filed Feb 15 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 By WATTORNEY;

Patented Dec. 25, 1923.

UNHTED? STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.rn DERIcK H. 'WOLKENHAUER, or B nsnnvILLE, ILLINOIS.

FURNACE.

Application filed February 15, 1919. Serial No. 277,211.

.ville, county of Du Page, and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Furnaces, of. which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in furnaces, and has for its objectthe provision of an improved construction of this character adapted toinduce thorough combustion of fuel and thus prevent smoke and permit ofeconomical consumption of fuel, the present invention constituting animprovement over that. disclosed in my prior application filed September2 1, 1917, Serial No. 192,901, the present application being directed inpart to subjectmatter disclosed in said prior application.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Fig. 1, is a longitudinal section on the line 1-1 Fig. 2, through theforward portion of a boiler furnace embodying the invention,

Fig. 2, is a view of the invention, partly in section, on the line 22 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3, is a longitudinal sectional view of the forward portion ofthe'furnace on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1, an enlarged detail view of the forward portion of the grateemployed in the furnace.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of one end of the grate support andoperating mechanism; and, I

Figl 6, a partial top plan viewof one forward corner of said grate. IThe preferred form of construction, as illustrated in' the drawings,comprises a suitable boiler furnace provided with a suitable firechamber 6, a return flue boiler 7 and a draft flue 8, as indicated. The

grate frame 9 is arranged in the fire chamher 6 and is mounted on bellcranks 10 on posts 11' therein. The bell cranks were connected by links12 with operating handles 13 situated at the front of the furnace, allsubstantially as disclosed in my -members 15 and 15 prior Patent N o.1,16Q,233, granted Novemher 16, 1915. The grate frame 9 carries on oneside a rack bar 14, and on its opposite side a rack bar 14*, upon whicha series of mutilated gears15 and 15 are'arranged to rock or roll.' Thegears 15 are provided with side flanges 15 projecting beyond the gearteeth thereon and adapted to embrace the sides of the rack bars, thusserving to maintain rolling relation between said gears and rack bars,and gears 15 are provided with similar flanges 15.

Each of the gears 15 is provided with a depending rocker arm 16 having aplurality of bolt holes 16 therein adapted to receive bolts 17 whichserve topivotally sisting of every other one of the gear members on bothsides of the grate frame, and respective rocker arms 16 and 16 for eachThe gear members are d vided into two sets 15, 15*, each set con connectlinks 17 therewith. Similarly each set of gear members are pivotally andadjustably connected by bolts 17 and 16 with the corresponding links 17and 17 whereby each set of gear members may be rocked or operatedindependently of the other, as indicator. An operating handle 19 isconnected with one set of links 17, and consequently, with one set ofgear members 15,

and another operating handle 18 is connected with the other set of links17 and gear members 15*}, so that said sets of gear members may bereadily rocked or rolled upon the rack bars when "desired, eithersimultaneously or independently. Grate bars 20 and 21 are mounted uponthe gear The grate bars 20,

constituting one set, are provided on their under sides with rack bars20 engaging and rolling upon the corresponding set of gear members 15,ands'the grate'bars 21 are similarly provided on their under sides withrack'bars' 21 similarlyengag'ing and rolling upon the other set of'gearmembers 15 The. grate barsi20 and 21 areare ranged in overlappingrelation, as indicated, so as to be capable of moving longitudinallywith respect to the grate and laterally with respect to each other.

The grate bars 20 and 21 are provided with perforations 22 @6123 forthepassage of the draft and the discharge of ashes. By this arrangement,it will be observed that grate bars 20 and 21 may be alternately.

shifted forwardly by manipulating the handles 18 and 19, and thensimultaneously fuel on the forward portion of the grate than on therearward portion, or rather, the fuel introduced onto the forwardportion of the grate is larger in bulk than the same fuel by the time itreaches the rear portion thereof, so that by providing for faster feedon the forward portion of the grate a uniform bed for fuel may bemaintained over the entire grate. By adjusting the connections betweenthe links 17 and 17 and the rocker arms 16 and 16, the extent ofmovement of the grate bars may be adjusted as desired, to meet therequirements of various qualities of coal, and thus adapt the furnacefor varying conditions.

An apron 24 is hinged to the forward'wall portion of the fire chamber 6and rests'loosely on a rod 24' connecting the forward portions of oneside of links 17, thus permitting of vertical adjustments of the grate,but compelling passage of the draft therethroughr A similar apron 25 ishinged to the forward grate bar 25 which is rigidly secured to the grateframe 9, said apron 25 resting loosely upon the apron 24' to permit ofthe vertical adjustments.

A bridge wall top 26 is rigidly mounted on the rear end of the grateframe 9, and an apron 27 is mounted upon a rocker'shaft '28 to seal thegapbetween the rearmost grate bar and said bridge wall top. The apron 27is operated by means of a rocker arm 29 and an operating handle 30, asindicated, to permit passageof draft when desired, and also to dischargeaccumulation of ashes. I l f A hollow fire arch 31 depends from the topof fire chamber 6 and is equipped with a plurality of discharge openingsor slits '32 arranged transversely in the lower side thereof, as shown.The interior of arch 31 isconnected by means of a discharge pipe 33provided with a valve 34 with the discharge of a blower casing 35mounted as shownyand operable by means of a pulley 36. The blower casingis provided with an intake communicating with the atmosphere controlledby a valve 37 operated by an'arm 38 and also'with'an intake 39equipped'with a similar valve leading into the draft flue 8 and wherebyeither air from the atmosphere, or smoke from the fiue 8, or a mixtureof the two, may be discharged into fire arch '31 andithence into firechamber 6, immediately onto the fuel thereon, thus promoting combustionand thorough consumption of the smoke.

A branch discharge pipe 40 provided with a valve 41 leads from pipe 33into the smoke flue 8 above blower 35, whereby, when desired, a blast ofair may be introduced into said smoke fine to increase the draft thereinand thus promote combustion.

An apron 42 formed in hinged collapsible sections is swingingiyconnected to depend from the forward portion of grate frame 9, and isequipped with an operating handle 43 for manipulating or adjusting thesame. A blower casing 44 has its intake 45 arranged in registration withan opening 46 in the upper forward side wall of the fire chamber 6, asshown. The blower 44 is arranged to be operated by means of a pulley 47and has its discharge 48 arranged to discharge downwardly in a flue 49in the side wall of the furnace and leading to a plu- .rality of portsor openings 50 under the ward portion of the grate will be firsttransformed into coke and the gases evolved therefrom thoroughlyconsumed in thefurnace. Then this coke is gradually fed rearwardly alongthe grate under the fire arch'where it is completely consumed by thecombined actions of the drafts thereon. Any gases or smoke passing offthrough the flue may be withdrawn therefrom and introduced into the firechamber through the fire arch 31 for further combustion. The parts mayalso be readily adjusted tomaintai-n auniform fire bed upon the grate.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of theappendedclaims. 7

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. A fire grate for furnaces comprising a pluralityof movable grate bars, certain of said bars being connected together toform independently movable sets; means for moving said sets of barssimultaneously in one direction; and means whereby said bars move awayfrom each other during such simultaneous movement, substantially asdescribed.

2. A fire grate for furnaces, comprising a plurality of movable gratebars, certain of said bars being connected together to formindependently movable sets; means for operating said grate bars; andmeans whereby said bars move apart different distances during suchoperation, substantially as described.

8. A fire grate for furnaces comprising two sets of grate bars shiftablelaterally relative to each other in the same plane; gears engaging saidgrate bars for moving same; and rocker arms of different lengths forshifting said grate bars different distances apart the extent ofmovement of said grate bars gradually decreasing from front to rear ofsaid grate, substantially as described.

4. A fire grate for furnaces comprising a grate frame; a plurality ofmovable grate bars mounted on said frame; a plurality of grate baroperating means mounted on said frame, each alternate grate bar beingconnected to one of said operating means and the other of said gratebars being connected to the other of said operating means; and means forshifting the bars attached to one of said operating means in onedirection, and the other grate bars connected to the other of saidoperating means, in the opposite direction, or moving the samesimultaneously in one direction when the operating means are moved inunison, substantially as described.

5. A fire grate for furnaces comprising a frame; rack bars 011 oppositesides of said frame; gear members arranged to roll'upon said rack bars;rocker arms on said gear members; links connecting said rocker arms; andgrate bars having racks meshing with said gear members, substantially asdescribed.

6. A fire grate for furnaces comprising a grate frame; rack bars on saidframe; gear members arranged to roll upon said bars; side flanges onsaid gear members engaging the sides of said rack bars to maintain saidgear members in rolling relation therewith; rocker arms on said gearmembers; links pivotally connected with said rocker arms; grate barshaving racks'meshing with said gear members; and means. for moving thelinks to actuate the rocker arms, substantially as described. I

7. A fire grate for furnaces comprising a grate frame; rack bars alongopposite sides of said frame; sets of gear members, each set comprisingalternate pairs of gear members; rocker arms on gear members of eachset; links at each side of the frame, each link being connected with therocker arms of one set; shiftable grate bars,'one set of 7 gear members,and the other set of grate grate bars having racks engaging one set of gbars having racks engaging the other set of A gear members; and meansfor simultaneously actuating the links of each set to move the gratebars, substantially as described.

8. A fire grate for furnaces comprising a grate frame; rack bars alongthe opposite sides of said frame; sets ofgear members,

comprising alternate pairs of opposite gear members; side flanges oneach gear member engaging the sides of respective rack bars to maintainsaid gear members in rolling re lation therewith; rocker arms on saidgear members; links at each side of the frame, each link being connectedwith the rocker arms of one set; sets of shiftable grate bars, havingracks thereon engaging said gear members; and means for moving the linksof each set to actuate the rocker arms,substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to. this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK H. WOLKENHAUER. Witnesses: v

C. A. FRANZEN, A. .W. FRANZEN.

